If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

whoever did it put her cousin at my place to throw attention off Lena when she reported hearing the screaming that first night. That means either they knew we were close, or that the people in town already figured I was mostly still an outsider … or both. That cellar? Nobody
but
a local with pretty deep roots would know about it. It can’t be anybody
but
a local.”
    “You’re not a local.” Remy glared at him. “But
you
know about those underground areas. Hell,
I
didn’t know about them. Yet you did. Explain that.”
    “Sheer luck—I found the maps at a yard sale. If it wasn’t for those …” He shrugged.
    “This is bullshit,” Remy spat.
    “Look, I know this isn’t—”
    “Enough.” Ezra pushed between them. “I’ve got work to do—in all likelihood, there’s a crime scene to be processed. Remy, you’re probably going to want to find a way to pass on this. Instead of hassling Law, why don’t you think about how to do that? Law—get Nia the hell out of here.”
    Nia shot a look at the darkness of the trees.
    She wanted
—needed
to get back there. But how could she possibly hope to, now? Assuming she even
could
. As though he’d been purposely intent on throwing her off, Law had led them on a winding, confusing trail back to the house and she hadn’t been thinking clearly enough to pay attention on the way in to note details.
    And of course, lousy reception meant she couldn’t really mark the area either.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Law and she stiffened her spine, kept her gaze focused straight ahead. It was a stab of betrayal, even looking at him. He’d locked her out.
    Kept her on the outside when she’d been the one to push him into finding this. The bastard.
    “How long are you going to stay pissed at me?”
    She set her jaw. Damned if she’d speak to him right now. Son of a bitch.
    He sighed. “I’m not doing this to cut you out, Nia. Whether you believe it or not, I’m doing you a favor here.”
    Her resolution to remain silent splintered under her fury. Wheeling around, she glared at him. “I don’t
want
your damn favors,” she snarled. “I don’t need your coddling, your protection, your fucking knight in shining armor routine. Maybe you needed to ride in and savethe day with Tinkerbell in there, but I don’t need a hero, damn it. Y’all never would have even bothered to
look
for anything if it wasn’t for me. How could you cut me out like that?”
    “Because I’m going to have fucking
nightmares
after what I saw,” he snapped. “I’d rather it not be in your head.”
    Then he stopped, took a deep breath. “You want to be pissed off, you be pissed off. I’m sorry if I hurt you—that wasn’t my intention. But if I had to make the same call, I’d do it again. And I’m not sorry for that.”
    He turned around and headed back into the house.
    She waited until she heard the creaking of the door as it opened. Then, because she couldn’t keep the question silent any longer, she blurted out, “What in the hell did you see?”
    Law just shook his head. “Aren’t your nightmares bad enough right now?”
    He’d have to tell her, he figured. Sooner or later, if the cellar turned out to be what he thought it was, details would slip. He’d have to tell her. But until Law knew for certain, he wasn’t going to put those images in her mind. If she hated him for it, then she hated him.
    Feeling somebody’s eyes on him, he looked up and saw Hope watching him. She was perched on the stairs, her elbows resting on her knees, her misty green eyes full of sympathy and sadness.
    “Hey.”
    He gave her a tight smile and shoved his hands in his pockets.
    “I guess you won’t tell me, either, huh?”
    Law lifted a brow.
    Hope smirked. “Didn’t think so.” She shifted her gaze past his shoulder, staring toward the door. “You know, I really wish she’d drop the ‘Tinkerbell’ comments.”
    “She doesn’t mean anything mean by it,” he said wearily.
    “I know.” Hope lifted up a hand, propped her chin on it. “You know, she’s probably not really angry at you. Just upset. Scared. Frustrated. Once she cools down …”
    Law snorted. “No. She’s angry. Really angry. At me. And it’s too fucking bad, because I wouldn’t do it any other way.”
    “Is it that bad?”
    He stared at her. Then he looked down at the floor. “I don’t want to sleep tonight, sweetheart. Because I’m afraid of what I’m going to see.”
    “So it is that